Big Surprise! Primulina cardaminifolia, an extremely endemic species of Primulina was rediscovered today!

Today, 11thJuly,
2017, a rare and nearly extinct species of Primulina, P. cardaminifolia,
which was assessed as Extinct in the field (EW) (Figs. 1 & Figs. 2)
formerly by the research group of Guangxi Institute of Botany, CAS
(GXIB) and Dr. Cecilia Koo Botanica Conservation Center, Taiwan of China
(KBCC), was rediscovered a population in the field today after falling in Dr.
Wen Fang and fans of GCCC's effort! (*Note: The research group of GXIB
published this rare species).

Primulina cardaminifolia Yan Liu & W.B. Xu, was firstly discovered and
collected by Mr. Wei Hong-Jin (Net name: Jin She Lang , Golden Shooting Wolf),
who is working in the ShanghaiChenShanBotanical Garden at
present (Figs. 1 & Figs. 2). Then in a study of this rare species, Dr. Xu
Wei-Bin and Prof. Liu Yan of GXIB, Yoshiko Kono and Prof. Ching-I Peng of Herbarium
(HAST), Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan of China, Hsuan
Chang and Dr. Kuo-Fang Chung of School of Forestry and Resource Conservation,
National Taiwan University, Taiwan of China,co-published it in 2013.This new
taxon looks very special, is the second species of Primulina having big corollas, another is P. pinnata (W. T.Wang)Y. Z.Wang. All available data support the
recognition of the new species P.
cardaminifolia and suggest that it could have derived from homoploid hybrid
speciation, but it need to be developed deeply. Unfortunately, when it was
published at that time, the individuals in the field were very, very few.
Before we carry out research deeply for this species, the type locality was
thoroughly destroyed by collapse! Because local people have been planting
Eucalyptus for making money, the structure of the limestone hill body and hydrologic
condition were being influenced and changed. In 2013, after raining cats and
dogs for some weeks, the terrible collapse directly buried all living plants of
type locality.The best out of the worst, when this new taxon was studied by
those researchers of GXIB and institute and university
of Taiwan, China, some individuals were
introduced by KBCC. Soon afterwards, GXIB re-introduced from KBCC and is
cultivating it in Center for Plant Resources & Phytogeographical Studies of
GXIB. Thus, the IUCN endangered grade is assessed as “Extinct in the field,
EW”.

Figs. 3 The
history of Mr. Wei Hong-Jin and Primulina
cardaminifolia

Figs. 4 The
description of this new taxon, Primulina
cardaminifolia

In May 2014, GuilinBotanical
Garden presided a project of Chinese Botanic
Garden Union, “Sub-project: The investigation and protection of Guangxi Native
Plants” of “The Check and Protection of Chinese Native Plants (Pilot Project)”.
Because GuilinBotanical Garden understood that Primulina cardaminifolia was assessed as
“EW”, and wanted to re-introduce some individuals of P. cardaminifolia from KBCC, then to develop some experiments for
re-introduction in the field. It seems barely comprehensible that KBCC declined
GuilinBotanical Garden’s offer so that the
good plan was stranded. This makes this rare species possible to disappear in
the near future because of fewer individuals and fewer maintained localites.

However, GCCC never gives
up hope to re-discover this species in the field, as for many visiting and
investigating in the type locality of Gyrogyne
subaequifolia W.T. Wang. The members of GCCC extended the investigation
range surrounding the type locality. They are too frantic tasting everything on
that, no matter what Hot summer and Cold winter, or torrential downpour and screaming
wind. When the members of GCCC got the exciting information about Primulina cardaminifolia at 8th
July, and they decided to go to investigate right now, although the blue weather
warning for torrential downpour for Laibin city, Liuzhou city and Guilin city
by National Meteorological Center, China at 10th July. The fans of
GCCC guided us to walk more than ten kilometers (four hours), crossed many rapid
streams, we arrived the new distributed locality of P. cardaminifolia! There is about 12 kilometer as the crow flies
from the type locality (Based on the Baidu Map online, for protecting this
species, we hide all information of the new locality).

Figs. 5 The members of GCCC walked in the terrible
stream

Figs. 6 The members of GCCC climbed cliff to take
photo for Primulina cardaminifolia

When we saw the wonderful plants and beautiful
flowers of Primulina cardaminifolia,
we think it all worthwhile! After P.
spadiciformis (W.T. Wang) Mich. Möller & A. Weber, P. cardaminifolia is the second species which was once assessed as
“EW” but is re-assessed as other grade and is no longer “EW” by GCCC. We
checked all individuals one by one, we were sure that there is 27 mature individuals
and 119 young seedlings (having 2-4 euphyllas). All individuals grow under a
hanging limestone cliff, they need to develop propagation and conservation (Figs. 7 & Figs. 8).

After carefully
checking, we found fewer survival capsules but no seeds inside. Thus we
collected one leaf from every mature individual to make leaf cutting (total 27
leaves), and try to keep the all genetic diversity of this population. Soon
afterwards, GCCC and Guilin
Botanical Garden will carry outresearches, and make re-introduction for this
beautiful species.